Stephanie Jackson, Nova Scotia – homeschooling since 1998
“We need a head shot and a brief bio, including when you started homeschooling.”
A head shot? Good grief…I’m rarely even in our pictures let alone one of just me.
Who needed these things and why? In September, a new homeschooling magazine is being launched to encourage and inspire homeschoolers. It is called Homeschool Horizons and you can find out more here http://www.homeschoolhorizons.ca/
I do not and will not use the blog as a place to advertise, but as I begin to gear up for September, I know that it is always refreshing to get a look into how other homeschool families make “it” work.
Sometimes, as homeschoolers, we can feel all alone and so isolated that we become discouraged and some of us even give up because we feel as though we just cannot continue all by ourselves.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
First and foremost, God is with you. It is God who led you to this path and it is God who will sustain you if you turn to Him and allow Him to hold you up.
Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
If God tells us to do something, He will certainly give us the strength to do it.
Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
One of the ways God strengthens us is by putting others around us to encourage us and help hold us up.
Connecting with other homeschooling families will not only help motivate you, but it will also provide you with a support base when you are feeling overwhelmed. Talking out your struggles or listening to someone else’s will give you a sounding board for solutions, a shoulder to cry on and a positive voice to cheer you on.
Even if you live in an area where it is difficult to make connections, you can find homeschool magazines, blogs, facebook groups, books, speakers on cd, field trips, swimming lessons, drama groups and conferences. Making the effort to connect with others – even if it isn’t on a regular basis – is well worth the time invested.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Note: for more information on resources available to homeschoolers, visit the HEMS website hems-ns.ca
Wife to Jeff and mother of five, Stephanie has been involved in homeschool support since 1998. Living in the beautiful ocean community of the Eastern Shore in Nova Scotia, Stephanie and Jeff founded HEMS Ministries as a means of reaching out to others who share their passion for growing Godly families. Together, they facilitate the Provincial support group HEMS (Helping Encouraging Mentoring Serving) and with a fantastic team of volunteers, organize the Nova Scotia provincial homeschool conference. Stephanie speaks at conferences around the Maritimes and at the HSLDA National Leadership Conference and has published her first devotional book, Love the Journey. For more information on what's going on in Nova Scotia or to contact Stephanie about speaking in your area, check out the HEMS website hems-ns.ca and Stephanie's blog http://under-his-wings-hems.blogspot.com/.
